A rogue landlord must pay back £190,000 in rent he collected from illegal flats in Wembley.

Olu Soyebo, 61, of Lagos, Nigeria, was handed a confiscation order at Harrow Crown Court on January 18 after he was caught making money from a property in Windsor Crescent.

Brent Council discovered the building had been converted into two flats without planning permission in 2009 and its enforcement teams served notice to Soyebo.

It found that he subsequently reinstated the flats and rented them out separately over a period of nine years, collecting thousands of pounds.

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The judge accused Soyebo of ignoring the 'foreseeable risk' when he chose to convert the home.

He added that previous infractions meant he must have known about the potential consequences of his actions and cited a 2001 notice after he operated a house in multiple occupation without planning permission.

Cllr Shama Tatler, responsible for regeneration, property and planning at Brent Council, said: 'This is a great result and puts rogue landlords on notice that Brent Council will take strong action if they try to dodge the planning laws.'

In addition to the confiscation order, Soyebo was fined £12,000 and told to pay the council's legal costs.

As part of the judgement, he has three months to pay back the ill-gotten gains or could face prison.

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